Short Reviews [Cary Grace - 2011 - "Constant Things"]

Following on from 2010’s, ‘Monday Machines’, Cary returned in 2011 with her sixth release, ‘Constant Things’. She provides vocals, guitars, keyboards, synths, production & mixing while Andy Budge (bass) and David Payne (drums) return, as well as two guests who assist on a track each, David Bartley (guitar) and Mark Griffin (drums). As with her other albums, Cary again is musically incredibly diverse and is determined to make life hard for people like me who want to convince others to discover this music for their own. Take “Mountain Song” for example, here both in a final version and as a demo. They are the last two songs on the album, and are based around linked acoustic guitars, a resonant bass, a few keyboards, and emotional heartfelt vocals cracking and poignant. Compare that to an instrumental such as “Vanishing” which feels more like Ozrics working with classic space rock, and it is hard to imagine that it is the same artist, let alone appearing on the same album. Cary is a musician with multiple personalities, and while classic psychedelia appears in all, she can happily co-exist alongside a space rock/krautrock/hardened synth player improvising and taking us into unusual worlds or a delicate singer songwriter. It takes a special person to be in charge of so many differing styles, and the result is up to us to interpret and discover for ourselves. I can imagine there will be people who enjoy one of Cary’s many persona, but not others. Me? I love the way she goes from place to place, never settling for too long (the longest song on this album is just ten minutes) yet taking bits and pieces and bringing them back to the nest where they are curated. Part of me is always frustrated when I come across a musician who has been around for years as I am annoyed with myself for not knowing them earlier, yet another part of me is pleased as I can hear a great deal of material at once without having to wait a long time until the next album! Cary Grace is a real talent who will be appreciated by those who enjoy psychedelic progressive rock and is never afraid to push into other musical areas. With Cary, her music is like that proverbial box of chocolates, “You never know what you're gonna get, ” but it’s all delicious.